“My name is Zak Bagans, I never believed in ghosts until I came face to face with one”…so begins the 100th episode of Ghost Adventures. Nick Groff, Aaron Goodwin and a few camera-techno experts set out to uncover the secrets kept in the house that an exorcism was performed in back in 1948. This occurrence was the inspiration for the famous “Exorcist” movie that made us all sit up and take notice of the unseen world around us.
The guys headed to the house in St. Louis to set up a tent in the back yard to serve as the nerve center and interview some people. In the vehicle they discussed the difference between possession and attachment and Aaron was obviously frightened. Zak seemed more angry that afraid, but they were all showing signs of trepidation. Their researcher, Jeff, had set up an interview with the great-niece of the Reverend who performed the famous exorcism. But, quite understandably, she refused to enter the house and met them at a nearby location. Zak asked Eileen if she thought that residual energy or spirits could be trapped in that house. She said that she thought wood and brick could absorb energy and that whatever had been there was there still.
They spoke with Greg Meyers, the investigator who was the latest person to encounter something in the house. He had been attacked and though he was nervous coming back, he agreed to go in with the guys. He explained that when he was there before he felt that the house should’ve been clean, as the exorcism had been successful, but upstairs in the boys room, he had become aware of heat on his face, became disoriented and a white blister of a cross appeared on his neck. Almost as soon as he told them that, they all became overwhelmed at the thought of all that had happened in that house. Outside, a neighbor showed up and offered comments on the house. While he wouldn’t go inside, he said that things happen two whoever bys that house. Just then something was heard to make a cracking sound in the house – upstairs. They noticed a crack in the window. The present owner was unwilling to discuss anything concerning the house.
Zak, Nick and Aaron introduced us to Dr. William Bradshaw, the world’s most educated authority on demonology. He let them know what they were getting into. He said demons pick a child who is destined to do great things in order to try and stop them. Then, we were flashed back to evil things that had happened and the Dr. said it was evil – demons at work. Health can deteriorate, he said and a person cannot self medicate but must seek professional help. Zak as asked if they threatened this being would they be in trouble. He said if Satan believed they were a threat, yes.
In both the house and the nerve center, all their most up-to-date equipment was set up; spectrograph, infrared cameras, the works. They didn’t want to miss a thing.
Father Jack Ashcroft, who they’ve consulted before, had been asked to attend, but suddenly became side tracked and was unable to be there in person. Zak spoke to him on the phone. When asked if residual energy could remain, he said yes, it was possible, blessed them and said he’d be praying for them. Clearly, no one was taking this lock-down lightly.
Lock-down begins. Because the little boy who became possessed had been playing with an Ouija board with his grandmother, Zak and Nick wanted to use one as trigger object to call out the spirits. Aaron was unwilling to endorse this course of action. He told them very seriously they were putting themselves in “bad danger”. Before they began, Zak cautioned the audience not to play with these things. Then he put the spirit box directly on the board and began asking questions. He asked the name of the man they attacked and then asked what happened here? The answer came, “he needs help”…“Ouija board…trouble”. Zak kept asking questions and Nick started to pace around. “Devil….Diablo” came back in two different voices. Nick told Zak he was starting to look weird. Zak asked what they/it wanted. The answer came, “come in demon”. Nick’s eyes were watering and he was pacing again. Zak continued to ask but nothing more was answered. They returned to the nerve center and reviewed the tape and were amazed at what they heard, and then visually things started to happen. The temperature and humidity in the house was changing even though all the windows were closed. Back in the house, with Aaron along, they stood in front of the spectrograph camera. Aaron’s stick figure was seen on the screen and he started to provoke the spirit. Suddenly his figure disappears and flashes back again. Zak asked if the equipment was working and it was. It happened again and again. Then something else is seen, a sort of orb. Zak demanded, “in the name of Jesus Christ, I demand that you show yourself!” When he used the name of Jesus the orb began to quiver violently and then zoomed away.
Back in the nerve center again, the guys reviewed the footage. They had turned down the sound of the remaining cameras in the house as they were listening to the recorded film. A loud bang was heard later by them, coming from the house. Later they asked the investigator, who had been attacked, where he keeps the Ouija board they had borrowed from him. He told them, under his bed! After they relayed all that had happened he is going to re-think the location for that board. Zak was sick for a few weeks after this shoot and they found out that Father Ashcroft had been detained on the way to them for the same reason. Nick reminded us all: Don’t use Ouija boards! In the end, they couldn’t determine if it is a present spirit or residual haunting in that house, but believed that the board created a portal to the unknown.